I Was Only Nineteen
Encyclopedia
"Only Nineteen", "I Was Only Nineteen" or "A Walk in the Light Green" is the most widely recognised song by Australian folk
group Redgum
. The song was released in March 1983 as a single, which hit number one on the Kent Music Report
Singles Chart for two weeks. It was also recorded for Redgum's live album Caught in the Act
(Epic Records
) released in June, which stayed in the top forty of the Kent Music Report Albums Chart for four months. Royalties for the song go to the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia. It is in the Australasian Performing Right Association
's Top 30 Australian Songs of all time
.
The song is a first-person
account of a typical Australian infantry regular soldier's experience in the Vietnam War, from training in Australia
to first hand exposure to military operations
and combat
, and ultimately his return home disillusioned, psychologically scarred and possibly suffering from the effects of the chemical defoliant
Agent Orange
. (In actuality, conscripts
or 'Nashos' were not sent to Vietnam unless they were aged at least twenty.)
Redgum's lead vocalist-guitarist, John Schumann
, wrote the song based on experiences he heard from veterans — particularly Mick Storen (his brother in-law) and Frankie Hunt: "The power derives from the detail, provided by my mate and brother-in-law, Mick Storen, who was brave and trusting enough to share his story with me." — John Schumann
For the live version, Schumann explained the title, "A Walk in the Light Green", as referring to operational patrols in areas marked light green on topographical maps, where dark green indicated thick jungle, plenty of cover and few land mine
s and light green indicated thinly wooded areas, little cover and a high likelihood of land mines.
where Redgum's Schumann performed his song with veteran Frank Hunt on stage. From this parade, a desire for a War Memorial to commemorate Vietnam Veterans grew into fruition with the Memorial's
dedication in October 1992. Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial
was constructed in ANZAC Parade
, Canberra
in 1992 and includes a "Wall of Words": "Stele B, the northern or right-hand stele
, is adorned with a series of 33 quotations fixed in stainless steel lettering." Amongst the quotations is:
A "normal language" explanation of each quote has been included, courtesy of the late Brigadier Alf Garland
:
At the 40th-year commemoration of the Battle of Long Tần
, 18 August 2006, veterans were accompanied by Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddle at the Long Tan Cross; following the commemoration a concert was held at Vũng Tàu where Schumann (and The Vagabond Crew) sang "I Was Only Nineteen." He also introduced Long Tần veteran Storen as the source for the song. For an SBS TV special Vietnam Nurses (2005), director Polly Watkins chose "Redgum and John Schumann's song 'Only Nineteen' during the Welcome Home Parade in 1987 because it is integral to one of the nurses' stories." Frank Hunt provides an account of his Vietnam experiences, titled "I Was Only Nineteen", in Gina Lennox' book Forged by War (August 2006).
After Schumann had received letters of request from active soldiers in Afghanistan
and East Timor he sought permission to visit the troops but obtained no answer. A reporter published an article on the situation, authorities gave permission for Schumann to tour East Timor in December 2009 and entertain serving Australian troops.
recorded a live version as "Only 19" and released it on his 1984 vinyl LP, The Smell of Gumleaves (rereleased in 1996 as a CD under the title Home Among the Gum Trees).
The song's and album's producer, Trevor Lucas
, performed his version as a member of his United Kingdom-based group Fairport Convention
at the 1985 Cropredy Festival. On the show Fast Forward, Gina Riley
, in character as Eleanor LaGore, performed a swing version of the song.
In 2005 a hip hop
version of the song (called "I was Only 19") was produced by The Herd, voted in at #18 in the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100
playlist. "I was Only 19 (The Herd version)" is credited to Schumman, Cheung, Fellows, Harrison and Kennedy. A video by Broken Yellow was directed by Brendan Doyle and produced by Navid Bahadori included actors in roles as Australian soldiers, some actual Vietnam vets, including Frankie Hunt, are also shown. The video clip can be seen at http://www.brokenyellow.com/. An audio mp3 download by Triple J's Hack has reporter Ali Benton discussing the video, interviewing Doyle, Schumann and Hunt.
This song also plays a symbolic role in the 2006 book World War Z
by Max Brooks
.
Only Schumann and McDonald of Redgum played on this track:
Caught in the Act live version, "I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)" (1983) – 5:57
Schumann introduces the song and explains the phrase 'A Walk in the Light Green' which he gives as its title. Recorded at The Rose, Shamrock and Thistle Hotel (aka Three Weeds Hotel) in Rozelle
, New South Wales
:
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group Redgum
Redgum
Redgum were an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals and Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were soon joined by Chris Timms on violin. All four had been students at Flinders University and...
. The song was released in March 1983 as a single, which hit number one on the Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart for two weeks. It was also recorded for Redgum's live album Caught in the Act
Caught in the Act (Redgum album)
Caught in the Act is the fourth album by Australian folk group Redgum.. It was the only full-length live album they released. The title is taken from the sixth track, which was also featured on "Brown Rice and Kerosene"....
(Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
) released in June, which stayed in the top forty of the Kent Music Report Albums Chart for four months. Royalties for the song go to the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia. It is in the Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
's Top 30 Australian Songs of all time
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
.
The song is a first-person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
account of a typical Australian infantry regular soldier's experience in the Vietnam War, from training in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to first hand exposure to military operations
Fire support base coral
The Battle of Coral–Balmoral was a series of actions fought during the Vietnam War between the 1st Australian Task Force and the North Vietnamese 7th Division and Viet Cong, north-east of Saigon...
and combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
, and ultimately his return home disillusioned, psychologically scarred and possibly suffering from the effects of the chemical defoliant
Defoliant
A defoliant is any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off. A classic example of a highly toxic defoliant is Agent Orange, which the United States armed forces used abundantly to defoliate regions of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1970.Defoliants differ...
Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
. (In actuality, conscripts
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
or 'Nashos' were not sent to Vietnam unless they were aged at least twenty.)
Redgum's lead vocalist-guitarist, John Schumann
John Schumann
John Lewis Schumann is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist from Adelaide. He is best known as the lead singer for the folk group Redgum, with their chart-topping hit "I Was Only 19 ", a song exploring the psychological and medical side-effects of serving in the Australian forces during...
, wrote the song based on experiences he heard from veterans — particularly Mick Storen (his brother in-law) and Frankie Hunt: "The power derives from the detail, provided by my mate and brother-in-law, Mick Storen, who was brave and trusting enough to share his story with me." — John Schumann
For the live version, Schumann explained the title, "A Walk in the Light Green", as referring to operational patrols in areas marked light green on topographical maps, where dark green indicated thick jungle, plenty of cover and few land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
s and light green indicated thinly wooded areas, little cover and a high likelihood of land mines.
Impact
The Australian Vietnam Veterans' "Welcome Home Parade" was held in Sydney on 3 October 1987 and was followed by a concert in The DomainThe Domain, Sydney
The Domain is 34 hectares of open space in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Sydney central business district, near Woolloomooloo. The Domain adjoins the Royal Botanic Gardens and is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, a division of the New South...
where Redgum's Schumann performed his song with veteran Frank Hunt on stage. From this parade, a desire for a War Memorial to commemorate Vietnam Veterans grew into fruition with the Memorial's
Vietnam Forces National Memorial, Canberra
The Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial is on ANZAC Parade, the principal ceremonial and memorial avenue in Canberra, the capital city of Australia...
dedication in October 1992. Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial
Vietnam Forces National Memorial, Canberra
The Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial is on ANZAC Parade, the principal ceremonial and memorial avenue in Canberra, the capital city of Australia...
was constructed in ANZAC Parade
ANZAC Parade, Canberra
This article is about the road in Canberra. For other uses, see Anzac Parade .ANZAC Parade, a significant road and thoroughfare in the Australian capital Canberra, is used for ceremonial occasions and is the site of many major military memorials.Named in honour of the Australian and New Zealand...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in 1992 and includes a "Wall of Words": "Stele B, the northern or right-hand stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
, is adorned with a series of 33 quotations fixed in stainless steel lettering." Amongst the quotations is:
A "normal language" explanation of each quote has been included, courtesy of the late Brigadier Alf Garland
Alf Garland
Brigadier Alfred Barrett "Alf" Garland AM was an Australian military serviceman, and the Returned and Services League of Australia National President from 1988-1993....
:
At the 40th-year commemoration of the Battle of Long Tần
Battle of Long Tan
The Battle of Long Tân was fought between the Australian Army and Viet Cong forces in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tân, about north east of Vũng Tàu, South Vietnam...
, 18 August 2006, veterans were accompanied by Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddle at the Long Tan Cross; following the commemoration a concert was held at Vũng Tàu where Schumann (and The Vagabond Crew) sang "I Was Only Nineteen." He also introduced Long Tần veteran Storen as the source for the song. For an SBS TV special Vietnam Nurses (2005), director Polly Watkins chose "Redgum and John Schumann's song 'Only Nineteen' during the Welcome Home Parade in 1987 because it is integral to one of the nurses' stories." Frank Hunt provides an account of his Vietnam experiences, titled "I Was Only Nineteen", in Gina Lennox' book Forged by War (August 2006).
After Schumann had received letters of request from active soldiers in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and East Timor he sought permission to visit the troops but obtained no answer. A reporter published an article on the situation, authorities gave permission for Schumann to tour East Timor in December 2009 and entertain serving Australian troops.
Lyrics glossary
The lyrics include words, terms and place names particular to Australia and Vietnam:- ANZAC: Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought in the world wars. Originally the Australian and New Zealand Army CorpsAustralian and New Zealand Army CorpsThe Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
. - CanungraCanungra, QueenslandCanungra is a small picturesque rural township in South East Queensland, Australia. Its economy depends on tourism, being a popular destination for short drives from the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Canungra, also called the "Valley of the Owls", is situated in the Gold Coast Hinterland, west of the...
: Jungle warfare training centre in the South-East Queensland Gold Coast hinterland, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. - Channel SevenSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
: Australian television network. - ChinookCH-47 ChinookThe Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
: Military helicopter. - Contact!: Military term indicating contact with the enemy. Will also contain direction of contact either contact left, contact right, contact front or contact rear
- Dustoff: Casualty evacuation by helicopter.
- Greens: Jungle Green Working Dress, the field uniform worn by the Australian Army between the early 1960s and 1989.
- Light green: parts on a map which indicated supposedly more dangerous areas for soldiers to patrol as there was little dense foliage and cover and an area which was more likely to be minedLand mineA land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
. - Nui Dat: Village in Bà Rịa province in Southern Vietnam, and the main base of 1 Australian Task Force from 1965 to 1972.
- Puckapunyal: Army enlisted soldier recruit training centre in Victoria.
- Shoalwater: Military exercise area in Queensland.
- Sixth Battalion6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment is a motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in Brisbane, Queensland, on 6 June 1965 and has since then served in a number of overseas deployments and conflicts including South Vietnam, East Timor and Iraq...
: (aka 6RAR) Australian army battalion, whose D Company had been involved in the Battle of Long TanBattle of Long TanThe Battle of Long Tân was fought between the Australian Army and Viet Cong forces in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tân, about north east of Vũng Tàu, South Vietnam...
during a tour three years earlier. - Slouch hatSlouch hatA slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat with a chinstrap, most commonly worn as part of a military uniform. It is a survivor of the felt hats worn by certain 18th century armies. Since then, the slouch hat has been worn by military personnel from many nations including Australia, Britain,...
: Parade head-dress for the Australian army. - SLRSelf-loading rifleSelf-loading rifle may refer to:*Semi-automatic rifle, a type of firearm which fires a single shot with the pull of a trigger, and uses the energy of that shot to chamber the next round...
: L1A1 Self-Loading RifleL1A1 Self-Loading RifleThe L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, also known by the Canadian Army designation C1, as the SLR, or as the "inch pattern" FAL,especially on the American surplus market is a British Commonwealth derivative of the Belgian FN FAL battle rifle, produced under licence...
(FN-FAL), standard 7.62 mm semi-automatic rifleSemi-automatic rifleA semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
issued to Australian infantrymen during the Vietnam War. - Tinnies: Cans of beer.
- Townsville: City in Queensland, home of the Australian Army's 3rd Brigade3rd Brigade-Australia:*3rd Army Tank Brigade *3rd Brigade *3rd Light Horse Brigade-Poland:*3rd Brigade of the Polish Legions*3rd Polish Infantry Brigade*Polish 3rd Mountain Brigade-United Kingdom:*3 Commando Brigade...
& RAAF Base TownsvilleRAAF Base TownsvilleRAAF Base Townsville is, along with RAAF Base Tindal and RAAF Base Darwin, one of northern Australia's primary defence installations. It is also Headquarters for No...
. - VBVictoria BitterVictoria Bitter is one of the many iconic beers manufactured in the Australian state of Victoria. VB currently maintains the highest market share of all beer sold in Australia, both on tap and packaged...
: Victoria Bitter (beer). - Vũng TàuVung TàuVũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism...
: Coastal city in Southern Vietnam which was both the main Australian logistic base and a rest area for troops based at Nui Dat.
Covers
When the song was first released Rick Melbourne, a breakfast radio announcer, produced a parody version of the song, including the lyrics "God help me, she told me she was sixteen". Australian country singer John WilliamsonJohn Williamson (singer)
John Robert Williamson AM is an Australian country music singer-songwriter. Williamson has released over thirty-two albums, ten videos, five DVDs, and two lyric books...
recorded a live version as "Only 19" and released it on his 1984 vinyl LP, The Smell of Gumleaves (rereleased in 1996 as a CD under the title Home Among the Gum Trees).
The song's and album's producer, Trevor Lucas
Trevor Lucas
Trevor George Lucas was an influential folk artist, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay...
, performed his version as a member of his United Kingdom-based group Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
at the 1985 Cropredy Festival. On the show Fast Forward, Gina Riley
Gina Riley
Gina Riley is an Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian.Riley became a popular television performer in the sketch shows Fast Forward, its successor Full Frontal, Big Girl's Blouse and Something Stupid. In the latter she was also a producer and writer...
, in character as Eleanor LaGore, performed a swing version of the song.
In 2005 a hip hop
Australian hip hop
Australian hip hop music began in the early 1980s; originally it was primarily influenced by hip hop music and culture imported via radio and television from the United States of America. However, since the 1990s, a distinctive local style has developed. Australian hip hop is an underground music...
version of the song (called "I was Only 19") was produced by The Herd, voted in at #18 in the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll, based on the votes of national Australian radio station Triple J listeners, in order to determine their favourite song of the year. Voting is conducted by the internet and begins roughly two weeks prior to the new year for the previous year's songs...
playlist. "I was Only 19 (The Herd version)" is credited to Schumman, Cheung, Fellows, Harrison and Kennedy. A video by Broken Yellow was directed by Brendan Doyle and produced by Navid Bahadori included actors in roles as Australian soldiers, some actual Vietnam vets, including Frankie Hunt, are also shown. The video clip can be seen at http://www.brokenyellow.com/. An audio mp3 download by Triple J's Hack has reporter Ali Benton discussing the video, interviewing Doyle, Schumann and Hunt.
This song also plays a symbolic role in the 2006 book World War Z
World War Z
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a 2006 post-apocalyptic horror novel by Max Brooks. It is a follow-up to his 2003 book The Zombie Survival Guide. Rather than a grand overview or narrative, World War Z is a collection of individual accounts in the form of first-person anecdote...
by Max Brooks
Max Brooks
Maximillian Michael "Max" Brooks is an American author and screenwriter, with a particular interest in zombies. Brooks is also a television and voice-over actor.- Early life and education :...
.
Track listing
- "I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk in the Light Green)" (John SchumannJohn SchumannJohn Lewis Schumann is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist from Adelaide. He is best known as the lead singer for the folk group Redgum, with their chart-topping hit "I Was Only 19 ", a song exploring the psychological and medical side-effects of serving in the Australian forces during...
) - 4:19 - "Yarralumla Wine" (Michael Atkinson) - 2:33
Personnel
Single version "I Was Only Nineteen" (March 1983) – 4:19Only Schumann and McDonald of Redgum played on this track:
- John Schumann – lead vocals, guitar
- Hugh McDonald – violin, vocals
- Brian Czempinski – drums (later became a member of Redgum)
- Trevor Lucas – backing vocals, producer
- Peter Coughlin – bass guitar
Caught in the Act live version, "I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)" (1983) – 5:57
Schumann introduces the song and explains the phrase 'A Walk in the Light Green' which he gives as its title. Recorded at The Rose, Shamrock and Thistle Hotel (aka Three Weeds Hotel) in Rozelle
Rozelle, New South Wales
Rozelle is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 4 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
:
- Michael Atkinson – guitar, mandolin, piano, vocals
- Hugh McDonald – violin, vocals
- John Schumann – lead vocals, guitar
- Verity Truman – flute, tin whistle, vocals
- Trevor Lucas – producer
- Jim Barton – engineer
External links
- "I Was Only Nineteen" (PDF) at John Schumann's official website
- "I Was Only Nineteen" lyrics at John Schumann's official website